Vacuum holder with extensible skirt gasket

ABSTRACT

A vacuum holder for articles, a combination of a vacuum holder and an article, a system for holding and conveying articles, and a method for holding and conveying articles are disclosed. The vacuum holder includes a main body having a surface and an air passageway leading to the surface, and a valve joined to the main body and in fluid communication with the air passageway. The vacuum holder includes an extensible skirt gasket with an opening therein. An article can be placed adjacent to the surface of the main body, and a vacuum can be drawn through the air passageway to hold the article to the vacuum holder. The valve maintains the vacuum between the article and the vacuum holder without being connected to a vacuum source, until it is desired to release the article from the vacuum holder.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a vacuum holder for articles, acombination of a vacuum holder and an article, a carrier with autonomousvacuum, a system for holding and conveying articles, and a method forholding and conveying articles.

BACKGROUND

Various apparatuses and methods of holding and conveying articles aredisclosed in the patent literature and on the internet. Patentpublications disclosing apparatuses and methods of holding and/orconveying articles include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,953, Muir, Jr.; U.S.Pat. No. 3,426,884, Donner; U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,237, MacGregor, Jr.;U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,380, Risca; U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,941, Stark, et al.;U.S. Pat. No. 8,813,951, Forsthoevel, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,032,880B2, King, et al. (assigned to MagneMotion, Inc.); U.S. Pat. No.9,085,420 B2, Williams, et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 9,193,108 B2, Seger,et al. Some types of vacuum holding devices are shown on the followinginternet sites: www.hysitron.com; www.toolocity.com; andwww.vacmotion.com.

Many current conveyor systems use plastic “pucks” to transport bottlesaround the conveying systems. Such conveyor systems suffer from a numberof drawbacks. The plastic pucks are often made to only fit one size andshape of an article, such as a bottle. The pucks also obstruct portionsof the article so that it is not possible to apply decorations such aslabels, stickers, shrink sleeves, and the like to the portions of thearticle behind the puck.

In conveyors in which an article is held in place on a conveyor byvacuum, the conveyor will typically have a hose that runs from a vacuumpump that is tethered to portion of the conveyor holding the article. Asa result, at least a portion of the hose would ordinarily be required totravel along with the part of the conveyor to which it is attached.

Therefore, a need exists for, among other things, improved apparatusesand methods of holding and conveying articles.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to: a vacuum holder for articles, acombination of a vacuum holder and an article, a carrier with autonomousvacuum, a system for holding and conveying articles, and a method forholding and conveying articles.

The vacuum holder may be used in many applications which currentlyutilize suction cups to adhere to the surface of an article. The vacuumholder, in certain uses, represents an improvement over suction cupswith benefits that are not possible with suction cups. In some cases, avacuum holder is provided for holding one or more articles. The vacuumholder has a retaining surface for holding one or more articles againstthe retaining surface by vacuum. The vacuum holder has a vacuum port atthe retaining surface, a valve in fluid communication with the vacuumport through a passageway extending from the valve to the vacuum port.The valve can be closed so that after a vacuum is drawn, the vacuumholder can hold an article by vacuum untethered from attachment to avacuum source.

In some cases, the vacuum holder can comprise an elastically extensiblegasket adjacent at least a portion of the outer surface of the main bodyof the vacuum holder. The extensible gasket has an opening therein, andwhen the gasket is stretched and relaxed, the opening is sized andconfigured for fitting around the portion of the surface of the articleto be held against the retaining surface of the vacuum holder and atleast some portions of the article adjacent thereto. Such a gasket canbe stretched and relaxed in any suitable manner and by any suitablestretching or expanding mechanism.

In other cases, the vacuum holder can comprise one part of a combinationof a vacuum holder and an article. In such cases, at least one of theretaining surface of the vacuum holder and the surface of the articlemay be configured to provide a space between the retaining surface andthe surface of the article wherein the space has an at least partialvacuum therein.

In other cases, the vacuum holder can comprise at least a portion of avehicle or carrier with autonomous vacuum. The vehicle or carrier is,therefore, not required to be continuously in contact with a vacuumsource. The vehicle can optionally comprise runners or wheels tofacilitate movement of the vehicle.

In other cases, a system is provided for holding and conveying articlescomprises the vacuum holder vehicle, a conveyor for moving the vacuumholder vehicle with an article held thereon from a first location to asecond location, and a vacuum station along the conveyor. The vacuumstation can draw a vacuum through the valve on the vacuum holder untilan article is held against the vacuum holder. The vacuum holder with thearticle held thereon can then be conveyed untethered from a vacuumsource.

In other cases, a method for holding and conveying articles is provided.The method comprises placing an article adjacent to the retainingsurface of the vacuum holder, and drawing a vacuum at a vacuum stationso that the article is held against the retaining surface of the vacuumholder. The method further comprises closing the valve so that thearticle is held against the retaining surface of the vacuum holderwithout being connected to the vacuum station. The vacuum holder withthe article held thereon can then be conveyed untethered from a vacuumsource.

Any of the embodiments described in this specification may be combined,or provided with any of the features of any other embodiment describedherein in any suitable combinations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one non-limiting embodiment of a vacuumholder.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum holder in FIG. 1 takenalong line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vacuum holder with an article (abottle) thereon.

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic cross-sectional view of the vacuumholder with a bottle thereon taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 (without thegasket and top plate, and with the bottle being fragmented), along witha vacuum source.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of avacuum holder with a bottle thereon (the bottle being fragmented).

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of avacuum holder with a bottle thereon (the bottle being fragmented).

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of another embodiment of a vacuum holdershowing a bottle positioned above the vacuum holder and an extensiblegasket, wherein the vacuum holder is configured to stretch theextensible gasket (the gasket being shown in an unstretched condition).

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the vacuum holder shown in FIG. 6Ashowing the gasket in a stretched condition, and the bottle placedinside an opening in the gasket.

FIG. 6C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bottle with thegasket forming a skirt around the base of the bottle.

FIG. 6D is a perspective view of an alternative gasket having avolcano-shaped configuration.

FIG. 6E is a perspective view of a stretching/expanding mechanism forstretching an extensible gasket shown without the gasket and with themechanism in an unextended configuration.

FIG. 6F is a perspective view of the expanding mechanism in FIG. 6Eshown without the gasket and with the mechanism in an extendedconfiguration.

FIG. 6G is an enlarged perspective view of the sliding gripper assemblyused in the expanding mechanism shown in FIGS. 6E and 6F.

FIG. 6H is a perspective view showing how the optional arms of thestretching/expanding mechanism can be folded over to push the gasket(not shown) down on the top of the vacuum holder.

FIG. 6I is a plan view of another type of expanding mechanism forstretching an extensible gasket.

FIG. 6J is a cross-section view of the expanding mechanism shown in FIG.6I taken along lines 6J-6J.

FIG. 6K is a cut-away perspective view of the expanding mechanism shownin FIG. 6I, showing the gasket in a first condition.

FIG. 6L is a cut-away perspective view of the expanding mechanism shownin FIG. 6I, showing the gasket in a second condition.

FIG. 6M is a cut-away perspective view of the expanding mechanism shownin FIG. 6I, showing the gasket in a third condition.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vacuum holder that is provided withwheels and is joined to a component comprising a motive mechanism inorder to form a vehicle.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of avacuum holder which is capable of holding multiple articles.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a vacuum holderhaving a pair of holding features thereon.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodimentof a vacuum source.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of one non-limiting embodiment of asystem and method for holding and conveying articles.

FIG. 12 is a stress/strain curve for several materials, some of whichare suitable for use as elastically extensible gasket materials.

The embodiments of the method, apparatus(es), and articles shown in thedrawings are illustrative in nature and are not intended to be limitingof the invention defined by the claims. Moreover, the features of theinvention will be more fully apparent and understood in view of thedetailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to: a vacuum holder for articles, acombination of a vacuum holder and an article, a carrier with autonomousvacuum, a system for holding and conveying articles, and a method forholding and conveying articles.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show one non-limiting embodiment of a vacuum holder 20.The vacuum holder 20 comprises a holder body (or “main body”) 22 and avalve 24. The main body 22 has an outer surface 22A and may have a fluid(e.g., gas or air) passageway (or “passageway”) 26 therein that leads tothe outer surface 22A. The vacuum holder 20 has a retaining surface 28for contacting the surface of an article. The valve 24 is joined to themain body 22 and is in fluid communication with the passageway 26. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum holder 20 further comprisesseveral optional components which comprise a gasket 30, a top plate 32,and an O-ring 34.

The vacuum holder 20 described herein provides autonomous untetheredvacuum therefore, it is not required to be continuously in contact witha vacuum source. The term “untethered”, as used herein, means that thevacuum holder is not connected to a vacuum source such as a vacuum pumpor vacuum hose. It also means that the vacuum holder is not connected toany vacuum-creating mechanism that displaces air such as a handle thatprovides a cranking mechanism or other movement that is activated by ahuman for creating a vacuum, or a bellows or the like. The vacuum holdermay be used in many applications which currently utilize suction cups toadhere to the surface of an article. The vacuum holder, in certain uses,represents an improvement over suction cups with benefits that are notpossible with suction cups.

In other cases, the vacuum holder 20 can comprise at least a portion ofa vehicle or carrier with autonomous vacuum. The vehicle or carrier is,therefore, not required to be continuously in contact with a vacuumsource. When it is said that the vacuum holder can comprise at least aportion of a vehicle or carrier, it is meant that the vacuum holder 20itself could comprise a vehicle or a carrier. In another example, thevacuum holder 20 may form a portion of a vehicle and when the vacuumholder is combined with another component (such as a motive mechanism,or part of a motive mechanism, that is capable of moving the vacuumholder 20) it could form a vehicle or carrier. In another example, thevacuum holder may be physically associated with (e.g., joined to), inany useful orientation, a vehicle or carrier that is capable of movingthe vacuum holder.

The vacuum holder 20 can be used to adhere to and/or convey numerousdifferent types of three dimensional articles 10. Such articles include,but are not limited to: bottles, cans, cups, containers, tubs or traysfor holding multiple individual products, bags, cartons, flow wraps,tampon tubes, and deodorant stick containers. Although pucks can besubject to the disadvantages described above, the vacuum holder couldalso be used to convey pucks and other carriers which hold articlestherein. While the vacuum holder 20 can easily transportconventionally-shaped articles (e.g., cylindrical, and/or symmetricalarticles), the vacuum holder 20 shown in FIG. 1 is particularly suitedto transport and control articles having shapes that are challenging totransport by other types of conveyors and pucks. The vacuum holder 20can, for example, be used to transport: bottles with angled and/oroff-center necks; asymmetrical bottles; bottles of non-constantcross-section, etc. The same vacuum holder can securely transportdifferent article shapes, including different bottom shape and areasurfaces, without need for any physical modification to the vacuumholder which is unlike many pucks and other types of conveyors.Similarly, the vacuum holder may comprise mechanisms to further securethe article to the holder that are integral to the holder rather than aspart of a separate puck. Such mechanisms may consist of arms, straps,pins, depressions, and the like that may extend inwardly towards oroutwardly from the surface of the vacuum holder. Such mechanisms maycontact the article at one or more points beyond the portion of thearticle that is secured to the holder by means of the vacuum. Suchmechanisms can advantageously be positioned to as to not interfere withany operations that might be performed on the article while secured tothe holder such as decoration operations or filling operations in thecase where the article is a container.

The articles 10 may have at least two opposing ends. For example, abottle will have a top 12 and a base (or bottom) 14. The articles 10have a surface 16 which comprises the outside (or exterior) of thearticle except for any opening(s) in the article. The surface 16 maycomprise the bottom 14 and a front, a back, and/or sides of the article.The articles 10 may be solid as in the case of some toothbrush handles,or hollow in the case of bottles, for example. If the articles arehollow, they will also have an interior. For bottles and othercontainers, the interior may be accessible from the environment throughone or more openings such as for receiving and dispensing fluentmaterial. Such openings will typically be capable of being closed orsealed. Any openings may be provided, for example, at the top, bottom,or on the sides of the articles. The surface of the articles 10 may beflat or curved. The entire surface need not be either flat or curved.The curved surface may be simple or complex. For example, the surface ofthe articles 10 may have: portions that are flat; portions that arecurved; or, the surface may have both flat portions and curved portions.For instance, in the case of bottles, at least a portion of the surfacemay have a convex curvature. It is also possible that some articles mayhave a surface in which a portion thereof has a concave curvature.

The main body 22 is any component that is suitable for containing thevalve 24, or having the valve 24 at least indirectly joined thereto. Themain body 22 may also provide, at least indirectly, a surface forretaining an article, including a structure for allowing the applicationof a vacuum to the article 10 to hold the article against the surface ofthe vacuum holder 20. The surface 28 against which the article is heldis referred to herein as the “retaining surface” of the vacuum holder20. In some cases, the main body 22 may also provide, at leastindirectly, a surface for supporting an article. The outer surface 22Aof the main body 22 is the surface of the main body 22 located nearestthe surface of the article when the vacuum holder 20 holds an article.The main body 22 also has an opposed surface 22B that is locatedfurthest from the surface of the article when holding an article, andsides 22C. When the main body 22 is described herein as providing asurface for supporting an article (and holding the article against itssurface), this includes holding the article directly against the outersurface 22A of the main body 22, as well as holding the articleindirectly against the outer surface 22A of the main body 22. An exampleof holding an article indirectly against the outer surface 22A of themain body 22 comprises holding the article against the outer surface 22Aof the main body where the gasket 30 (and/or top plate 32, or otherelement) lies between the article 10 and the outer surface 22A of themain body 22. Depending upon the surface of the vacuum holder 20 that isdirectly presentable to a surface 16 of the article, the retainingsurface 28 of the vacuum holder may comprise the outer surface 22A, thetop plate 32 or the gasket 30.

The vacuum holder 20 and the main body 22 can be of any suitableconfiguration. If the article will rest on the vacuum holder 20 bygravity and be supported by the vacuum holder, then the vacuum holder 20may be in the configuration of a platform for holding one or morearticles. FIGS. 1-3 show one non-limiting embodiment of the vacuumholder 20. In this embodiment, the vacuum holder has the configurationof a generally rectangular prism. In this embodiment, the vacuum holderprovides a rectangular platform for supporting one or more articles 10.In other embodiments, the platform can be circular, disk shaped, or anyother suitable shape having any number of sides which outline any shapedplatform such as including, but not limited, to the inclusion ofgeometric shapes in whole or part from the listing of a: simple,complex, concave or convex polygon; trapezoid; parallelogram; rhombus;diamond; ellipse; oval; or circle. Of course, the overall size/footprintof the vacuum holder 20 can be scaled up for larger articles, theholding of multiple articles, or, scaled down for one or more smallerarticles.

The configuration of the retaining surface 28 may vary depending on theconfiguration of the portion of the surface of the article 10 which isintended to be held by the vacuum holder 20. Suitable configurationsinclude those in which at least one of the retaining surface 28 and theportion of the surface of the article to be held is configured toprovide a void space between the surface of an article and the retainingsurface 28 of the vacuum holder 20. This void space provides a vacuumchamber 40 from which air can be evacuated to form an at least partialvacuum between the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20 and thesurface 16 of the article.

The void space can be of any suitable size (that is, volume) and shape.The vacuum holder 20 can provide some holding benefit if there is novoid space between the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20 andthe surface 16 of the article. In such a case, the area on the surfaceof the article held by the vacuum holder 20 may only be the size of thearea of the vacuum port. However, the holding force in such anembodiment may be relatively low. Therefore, it is typically desirableto provide a void space that interacts with a greater area on thesurface 16 of the article than the area of the vacuum port.

FIG. 4 shows that, in some cases, such as those in which the surface ofthe article 10 to be held has a concavity therein, the retaining surface28 may have any suitable configuration so long as it is capable ofcontributing to form a void space with the surface of the article 10.The retaining surface 28 should also be capable of maintaining the atleast partial vacuum in the vacuum chamber 40 without allowing ambientair to leak into the vacuum chamber by creating a continuous contactperimeter (shown on FIG. 4 as 38) between the retaining surface 28 andthe surface 16 of the article 10. The configuration of the retainingsurface 28 can have depressions or raised areas therein (provided thatthese do not allow air to leak in), and be concave, convex,substantially planar, or be any combination of the foregoing. Of course,any convexity in the retaining surface 28 must still allow for thecreation of the void space. In some embodiments, particularly those inwhich it is desired for the vacuum holder 20 to serve as a platform tosupport an article 10, at least a portion of the retaining surface 28may be substantially planar. For example, if the article 10 is a bottlethat is to be held on the bottom 14 and supported by the retainingsurface 28, and the bottom 14 of the article has an inward dome orconcavity therein, then the concavity on the bottom of the bottle 10will provide a suitable void space 40 even if (at least a portion of)the retaining surface 28 is substantially planar. When it is said thatat least a portion of the retaining surface 28 is substantially planar,it may, but need not be completely planar.

It is also desirable to form a seal between the surface of an article tobe held and the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20,particularly at the continuous contact perimeter 38, in order tomaintain an at least partial vacuum in the vacuum chamber 40. As shownin FIGS. 1-3, this may be achieved by placing a gasket 30 between thesurface of the article and the outer surface 22A of the holder body 22.The portion of the surface of the article 10 being held (for example,the bottom of the article 14) may be held adjacent to the outer surface22A of the main body 22 with the gasket 30 between the surface of thearticle and the outer surface 22A of the main body 22. The gasket 30 canbe any suitable element that is compliant (that is, conformable) and/orcompressible so that it assists in forming a substantially airtight sealbetween the portion of the surface of the article being held and theretaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20. The gasket 30 can be madeof any suitable at least partially air impervious material that issufficiently impervious to air so as to allow the formation andmaintenance of the vacuum for a sufficient period of time. Suitablematerials include, but are not limited to polyurethane rubber, nitrilebutadiene rubber (NBR), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber,neoprene (polychloroprene) rubber, silicone rubber, processed naturalgum rubber, or a thermoplastic resin with extremely low hardness that isformed into a flexible and durable elastomeric material for air or othergas leak testing instruments such as Cosmo SUPER GEL™ obtained fromCosmo Instruments Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-3, the gasket 30 is a flat rectangular piece of material thathas a uniform thickness. The size, shape, thickness profile and materialproperties of the gasket 30 can be altered to allow an even broaderrange of articles to be held. These changes may also enable othertransformation extremes like sending the vacuum holder 20 through heattunnels, steam tunnels, chemical exposure, etc.

In other embodiments, the gasket 30 can be eliminated, and a top layerof the main body 22 can be provided with properties that allow it toserve the function that would have been performed by the gasket. Thiscan be done, for example, by making the main body 22 using a dual shotinjection mold where the top layer of the main body 22 is made of acompressible material such as a thermoplastic elastomer likeExxonMobil's SANTOPRENE™ or other synthetic rubbers including thoseamong the examples mentioned earlier, and the remainder of the main body22 is made of a more rigid material. Thus, the retaining surface 28 canbe formed by the outer surface 22A of the main body 22 or the gasket 30.

FIG. 5 shows that, in other cases, at least a portion of the retainingsurface 28 may have a concavity (or “recess”) 42 therein. The concavity(or recess) 42 may be of any suitable configuration. For example, if thearticle 10 is a bottle that is to be held on the bottom 14 and supportedby the retaining surface 28, and the bottom 14 of the article 10 issubstantially planar, at least a portion of the retaining surface 28 mayhave a concavity 42 therein to provide the vacuum chamber 40.Alternatively, the outer surface 22A of the main body 22 may besubstantially planar, and a gasket with a concavity or void therein maybe placed between the outer surface 22A and the surface of the articleto provide the vacuum chamber.

In other cases, as shown in FIG. 6, it may be desirable to provide thevacuum holder 20 or main body 22 with other features, or to provide theretaining surface 28 with configurations other than a substantiallyplanar configuration, or a configuration with a concavity therein. Suchother cases may occur if the surface of the article 10 to be held has aconfiguration in which gaps are formed that would prevent the formationof a sealed void space (that is, a continuous contact perimeter) with aretaining surface 28 that has either a substantially planarconfiguration, or a configuration with a concavity therein. For example,such a situation would be present if the article 10 is a bottle that isto be held on the bottom and supported by the retaining surface, and thebottom of the article has a central concavity therein which issurrounded by a plurality of spaced apart feet (such as in disposableplastic water bottles currently in wide use), sometimes referred to as“petals” in the case of blown bottles. Air would tend to leak in throughthe spaces between the feet. In such cases, the retaining surface 28,such as the surface of the gasket 30 can be configured (e.g., bymolding, thickness profiling or other methods) to more closely conformto the configuration of the bottom surface 14 (or other surface to beheld) of the article 10. In some cases as shown in FIG. 6, the gasket 30can extend along at least a portion of the sides of the article 10 toform a skirt gasket seal. In such cases, it may not be necessary for anyportions of the gasket 30 to be positioned between the bottom 14 of thearticle 10 and the main body 22. Of course, in other embodiments, thegasket 30 may form a seal along portions of the sides of the article,and also comprise a portion that is positioned between the bottom 14 ofthe article 10 and the main body 22.

FIGS. 6A-6C show another embodiment of a gasket 30 that can be used forholding such articles 10. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, ratherthan comprising a flat continuous piece of material, or a piece ofmaterial having a surface that is configured to conform to the bottomsurface of the article 10, the gasket 30 has an opening or hole (oraperture) 36 therein. The gasket 30 comprises an elastically extensiblematerial that has a first (or initial) unextended configuration anddimensions and a second extended configuration and dimensions. Theelastically extensible gasket material is capable of extension in theplane of the surface of the gasket by application of tensile forces tothe same. After the tensile forces are removed from the material (thematerial is relaxed), it retracts back to a third (or relaxed)configuration and dimensions. The gasket material retracts at least partof the way to its initial unextended configuration and dimensions. Ifthe gasket material retracts back to its initial unextendedconfiguration and dimensions, then its relaxed configuration anddimensions will be the same as its first configuration and dimensions.If the gasket material only retracts part of the way to its initialconfiguration, then its third configuration and dimensions will bebetween its first and second configuration and dimensions.

This gasket 30, in its unextended configuration, has an opening 36 witha perimeter having a length (measured along the perimeter) that issmaller than the dimensions of the perimeter of the base 18 of thearticle 10. For the purpose of describing this embodiment, the term“base of the article”, refers to the portion of the article 10 that ispositioned adjacent to the surface of the vacuum holder. The base 18 ofthe article 10 therefore may, but need not, be at the bottom 14 of thearticle. In addition, the “base” of the article 10 may also includeportions of the article (such as on the sides of the article as shown inFIG. 6C) that are adjacent to the portion of the article that is incontact with the vacuum holder (the “contact surface”). That may occurif the gasket 30 contacts portions of the article that are adjacent to,but displaced from, the contact surface. The opening 36 in the gasket 30can be of any suitable shape including, but not limited to circular andoval. (Thus, the length of the perimeter of a circular opening will bethat of its circumference.) The opening 36 can be of any suitable sizeand shape, provided that the perimeter of the opening 36 is smaller thanthe perimeter of the base 18 of the article 10 after the gasket 30 isstretched and relaxed. This will allow the gasket 30 to fit snuglyaround the base 18 of the article 10. The outer dimensions of the gasket30 (that is, the outer perimeter of the gasket 30) will typically belarger than base 18 of the article 10.

This embodiment operates as follows. The extensible gasket 30 isextended so that the opening 36 is larger than the base 18 of thearticle 10. The article 10 is then placed through the opening 36 in thegasket 30 and on top of the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder20. The gasket 30 is then allowed to retract so that the opening 36 inthe gasket 30 fits snugly around the base 18 of the article 10. As shownin FIG. 6C, this causes the portion of the gasket 30 adjacent to theopening 36 to form a skirt around the base 18 of the article 10. Morespecifically, the portion of the gasket adjacent to the opening 36 isdisposed toward the end of the article opposite the base (upward in thisdrawing figure) and out of the plane of the remainder of the gasket toform a lip or rim 86.

Various alternative embodiments of the extensible gasket 30 are alsopossible. For example, FIG. 6D shows an extensible gasket 30 with atruncated cone shape or volcano-shaped configuration. In such a case,the smaller opening or mouth of the volcano will be facing upward sothat it faces away from the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder20. The volcano-shaped gasket configuration has been found to bebeneficial in ensuring that the extensible gasket 30 will assume theconfiguration shown in FIG. 6C after the gasket is relaxed and makescontact with the base 18 of the article. Without the volcano shape, thegasket can sometimes buckle upward resulting in an upside down versionof the shape of the gasket shown in FIG. 6C, which may not form anadequate seal with the surface of the article 10.

Ideally, the elastically extensible gasket 30 is made of a material thathas certain properties. These include: (1) the ability to undergo arelatively high degree of stretching or strain without breaking; (2) theability to be repeatedly stretched over a large number ofextension/relaxation cycles with minimal loss of its modulus ofelasticity; and (3) exhibits low stress at various strains up to thestrain at which breakage occurs.

The term “extensible”, as used herein, means the ability to stretch orelongate, without rupture or breakage, to at least 50% strain, forexample, as described below in the Hysteresis Test. The terms “elastic,”“elastomeric,” and “elastically extensible” mean the ability of amaterial to stretch by at least 50% strain without rupture or breakageat a given load, and upon release of the load the elastic material orcomponent exhibits at least 75% recovery (i.e., has less than 25% set).For example, an elastic material that has an initial length of 25.4 mmcan stretch to at least 38.1 mm (50% strain) and, upon removal of theforce, retract to a length of 30.5 mm (i.e., have a set of 5.1 mm or20%). Stretch, sometimes referred to as strain, percent strain,engineering strain, draw ratio, or elongation, along with % recovery and% set may each be determined according to the Hysteresis Test describedbelow.

With respect to the property of strain without breaking, the gasket 30may be capable of surviving a strain of at least about 50% to at leastabout 1,100%, or more (or any 100 percent increment therebetween—e.g.,100%, 200%, 300%, 400%, 500%, etc.) without breaking. It is understood,however, that the gasket 30 may experience strain of less than 50% inuse (e.g., as low as about 20%) to load and hold articles of the samesize and cross-sectional shape. It is believed that a strain of as lowas about 20% to about 100% may be sufficient to load articles havingmany different cross-sectional shapes (circle, square, oval, hexagon,etc.) so long as the base 18 of the articles 10 have substantially thesame perimeter and aspect ratio. If it is desired to use the extensiblegasket with a range of articles that vary in the size of theirperimeter, higher amounts of strain (e.g., 200%, 300%, 400%, 500%, etc.)may be desirable.

It is desirable for the gasket to be capable of such strain throughmultiple cycles as described below. When it is said that it is desirablefor the gasket to undergo “insubstantial loss” (or synonymously “minimalloss”) of its modulus of elasticity, this means that the gasket doesnot: (a) sag to such a degree that it interferes forming a seal with thedesired part of the article; and/or (b) fail to retract sufficiently toform an air tight seal with the article.

With respect to the property of being able to be repeatedly stretchedover a large number of extension/relaxation cycles with minimal loss ofits modulus of elasticity, it may be desirable for the gasket to becapable of undergoing at least 1,000 cycles up to 100,000 cycles, ormore (or any 10,000 cycle increments therebetween). For example, it maybe desirable for the extensible gasket material to be capable ofundergoing up to 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, or more cycles (or anyincrement of 1,000 cycles between these numbers) while maintaining itsproperties sufficiently to perform its intended function (such as itsmodulus of elasticity). For example, one material, after being extendedto a strain of 400% and relaxed to a strain of 100%, and being cycledbetween such strains up to 100,000 times, may exhibit a decrease ofmodulus of elasticity of only about 40% or less at a strain of up to1,000%, or a decrease of modulus of elasticity of only about 30% or lessat strain of up to 800%, or a decrease of modulus of elasticity of onlyabout 25% or less at strain of up to 400%, or a decrease of modulus ofelasticity of only about 10% or less at a strain of up to 200%.

With respect to the property of exhibiting low stress at various strainsup to the strain at which breakage occurs, this refers the ease withwhich the gasket 30 can be stretched to ensure that the opening 36 islarger than the base 18 of the article 10. A low stress, thus, isindicative of a gasket that can be stretched with ease. It may bedesirable that the gasket material exhibit a stress of less than 0.5MPa, 0.4 Mpa, 0.3 Mpa, 0.2 MPa, 0.1 MPa or 0.05 MPa at a strain of up toabout 200% and/or the gasket material exhibit a stress of less than lessthan 0.5 MPa, 0.4 Mpa, 0.3 Mpa, 0.2 MPa, or 0.1 MPa at a strain of up toabout 500% and/or the gasket material exhibit a stress of less than 0.5MPa at a strain of up to about 1,000%. It may also be desirable that thegasket material exhibit a minimal level of stress at low strain so thatthe gasket 30 will not sag too much. For example, it may be desirablethat the gasket material exhibit a stress of greater than or equal toabout 0.01 MPa at trains equal to 10% or greater.

FIG. 12 shows several elastically extensible materials that have beenproposed for use an elastically extensible gasket. Comparative Ex. 1 is25A Duro polyurethane. Comparative Ex. 2 is latex rubber. While it isbelieved that the materials described in Comparative Exs. 1 and 2 can beused, they are less preferred. Suitable materials may includethermoplastic elastomers.

One suitable material for such a gasket 30 is Cosmo SUPER GEL™. CosmoSUPER GEL™ has an Asker C hardness from 0 to 30 degrees. Cosmo SUPERGEL™ is very useful for this purpose because it is highly elasticallyextensible, extremely durable, and conforms closely to the configurationof the article. As shown in FIG. 12, Cosmo SUPER GEL™ is capable ofundergoing a strain of over 1,100% before it reaches its necking pointat a stress of slightly over 0.7 MPa. The necking point of a material isthe point where a material begins to permanently deform, such that itbegins to lose its elasticity, among other properties. FIG. 12 alsoshows that Cosmo SUPER GEL™ is capable of undergoing a strain of over1,200% before failure.

Another material that may be suitable for use as an extensible gasketwhich is shown in FIG. 12 is McMaster Carr #1782T54 thermoplasticelastomer available from the McMaster-Carr Supply Company, Elmhurst,Ill., U.S.A.

The extensible gasket 30 can be of any suitable thickness provided thatit is able to conform closely to the article and form a seal with thearticle. A suitable range of thickness is between about 2 mm and about 8mm. In some cases, the extensible gasket 30 can be about 5 mm thick.

The extensible gasket 30 can be extended and retracted in any suitablemanner and by any suitable stretching or expanding mechanism (or simply“expanding mechanism”). It should be understood that even though it maynot always be shown in these embodiments, at least one of the retainingsurface and the surface of the article is configured to provide a voidspace between the surface of the article and the retaining surface.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show one expanding mechanism 90 for extending andretracting the extensible gasket 30. In this embodiment, the expandingmechanism 90 comprises part of the vacuum holder 20. Such a mechanism 90can take many possible different configurations. In the embodimentshown, the expanding mechanism 90 comprises a plurality of pistons 92(shown extended from piston housings 94 in FIG. 6B) with grippers orclamps 96 joined thereto. The pistons 92 can extend from any suitableportion of the vacuum holder. In the embodiment shown, there are fourpistons 92, and each piston 92 extends from a piston housing 94 at oneof the corners 22D of the main body 22 of the vacuum holder 20.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the pistons 92 are movable diagonally outwardlyaway from the opening 36 in the gasket 30 to increase the size of theopening 36 so that it is larger than the base 18 of the article 10.After the base 18 of the article 10 is placed within the opening 36 (andthe base of the article is in contact with the retaining surface 28 ofthe vacuum holder 20), the pistons 92 allow the gasket 30 to retract,and the portions of the gasket 30 adjacent to the opening 36 fit closelyaround the base 18 of the article 10. In embodiments in which the gasket30 has an opening 36, the retaining surface 28 that the surface of thebase of the article 10 is placed in contact will typically be the outersurface 22A of the main body 22 or top plate 32 of the vacuum holder 20(rather than the gasket 30). The grippers 96 in this embodiment maycontinue to grasp the gasket 30 at all times, including after the vacuumis drawn. Since the grippers 96 do not release the gasket 30, thisavoids the challenge of the grippers 96 having to reacquire (or regrip)the gasket 30 when it is time to extend the gasket again.

In this embodiment, if the corners of the gasket 30 remain slightlyelevated above the retaining surface after stretching, it may bedesirable to provide a placement or “positioning” mechanism that pushesthe gasket 30 against the top surface of the vacuum holder 20 before avacuum is drawn. Such a positioning mechanism can be part of a mechanism(such as at an article loading station) that is separate from the vacuumholder 20. One non-limiting embodiment of such a positioning mechanism110 is shown and described in FIGS. 6E, 6F, and 6H below. Of course, inother embodiments, such a positioning mechanism may comprise part of thevacuum holder 20.

FIGS. 6E-6H show another expanding mechanism 100 for extending andretracting the gasket 30. This expanding mechanism 100 is separate fromthe vacuum holder 20, and works in conjunction with (that is, as part ofa combination with) a vacuum holder 20. In the embodiment shown, thevacuum holder 20 is in the form of a vehicle that travels around aconveyor 72 in the form of a track system. Such a track system isdescribed in greater detail below. As shown in these figures, thisexpanding mechanism 100 can be located at a station along the tracksystem. For example, the expanding mechanism 100 can be located at astation for loading vehicles with the article to be transported. Such amechanism 100 can take many possible different configurations.

In the embodiment shown, this expanding mechanism 100 comprises fourmovable gripping mechanisms 102 for gripping the four corners of thegasket to extend the gasket. (The gasket is not shown in FIGS. 6E-6H,but may be the same as that shown in FIGS. 6A-6D). The movable grippingmechanisms 102 comprise a gripper track 104 along which grippers orclamps 106 are slidably movable. The movable gripping mechanisms 102 aremovable diagonally outwardly away from the opening 36 in the gasket 30to increase the size of the opening 36 so that it is larger than thebase 18 of the article 10. One of the gripping mechanisms 102 is shownin greater detail in FIG. 6G. The clamps 106 in the drawing are part ofclamp assemblies 112 that may be referred to as “bobbins” (not becausethey hold thread, but because they may have components that resemble theshape of a bobbin). The top part of these bobbins 112, the clamps 106,are permanently attached to the gasket corners (that is, until thegasket is replaced). The bottom part 114 of the bobbin 112 is shapedlike two spools stacked one on top of the other. The spools define anupper spool groove 116 and a lower spool groove 118. The upper spoolgroove 116 slips into a slot 122 in the corner of the vacuum holder 20top plate 32. When it is time to expand the gasket 30, a sled 124 slidesinto the lower spool groove 118 at the bottom of the bobbin 112 andcarries the bobbin away from the holder top plate slot 122 outwardlyaway from the gasket opening 36 (not shown). When the gasket 30 isretracted, the sled 124 carries the bobbin 112 back towards the centerand “drops it off” back in the slot 122 at the corner of the holder topplate 32. With the sleds 124 in the retracted position, and the bobbins112 in the grooves in the top plate 32, it is still possible for thevacuum holder 20 to pass freely over the sleds 124 without interference.

As in the case of the prior embodiment, after the base 18 of the article10 is placed within the opening 36 (and the base of the article 10 is incontact with the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20), thegripping mechanisms 102 allow the gasket 30 to retract and the opening36 in the same to fit closely around the base 18 of the article 10.

This embodiment may also include a positioning mechanism 110 to push atleast portions of the gasket 30 flat against the retaining surface 28 ofthe vacuum holder 20. This may be desirable before a vacuum is drawn toensure an airtight seal is formed. In the embodiment shown, thepositioning mechanism comprises a pair of arms 110 that push the gasket30 against the top surface of the vacuum holder 20.

It should be understood that while the embodiments of the expandingmechanisms described herein grip the corners of the gasket 30 in orderto extend the same, the invention is not limited to such embodiments. Inother embodiments, any suitable portions of the gasket 30 (such as thesides of the gasket 30) can be gripped and extended by any suitablemechanism.

FIGS. 6I-6M show still another expanding mechanism 130 for extending andretracting an extensible gasket 30. In this embodiment, the expandingmechanism 130 comprises part of the vacuum holder 20. Such a mechanism130 can take many possible different configurations. In the embodimentshown, the expanding mechanism 130 comprises a frame 132 with agenerally circular configuration. The frame 132 comprises retainingmembers for holding the edge portions of the extensible gasket 30. Theretaining members can be in any suitable number and configuration. Theonly requirements are that the retaining members be capable of holdingthe edge portions of the extensible gasket 30 therebetween, and that airtight chambers are formed as described below.

As shown in FIGS. 6I and 6J, in this embodiment, the retaining memberscomprising a ring-shaped upper holding member 134, a middle retainingcomponent 136, and a base portion 138. The upper holding member 134,middle retaining component 136, and base portion 138 may compriseportions of the frame 132. The middle retaining component 136 shown inthese figures has a sideways oriented U-shaped cross-section where a gapG (also shown at the tip of arrow 144 in FIGS. 6K and 6L) forms thecenter of the U, and legs of the U are formed by the upper and lowerretaining portions 136A and 136B, respectively. The ring-shaped upperholding member 134 is positioned on top of the upper retaining portion136A for holding portions of the gasket. The lower retaining portion136B of the middle retaining component 136 is positioned on top of thering-shaped raised perimeter portion 138A of the base portion 138 forholding other portions of the gasket 30.

The expanding member 130 also comprises a gasket expansion chambervacuum port 140 for drawing a vacuum to stretch the gasket 30, and anarticle vacuum chamber port 142 for drawing a vacuum to hold an articleto the retaining surface 28. As shown in FIG. 6J, the gasket expansionchamber vacuum port (or simply “gasket vacuum port”) 140 is in fluid (orair) communication with the gap G between the upper and lower retainingportions 136A and 136B of the middle retaining component 136. This gap Gforms at least part of the gasket expansion chamber 144. The articlevacuum chamber port 142 is in fluid (or air) communication with anarticle vacuum chamber 146 that is located adjacent the retainingsurface 28 of this vacuum holder 20.

The extensible gasket 30 is comprised of two layers comprising a firstlayer, shown as an upper layer 30A and a second layer, shown as a lowerlayer 30B. The layers 30A and 30B are joined together at the centralpart 30C of the gasket which surrounds the opening 36. The outer edgeportions of the layers are not joined together outside of the centralpart 30C of the gasket 30 so that they can be gripped by the retainingmembers of the vacuum holder. More specifically, the upper layer 30A hasan outer edge 30A1. The upper layer 30A also has an outer edge portion(or simply “outer portion”) 30A2 that is located between outer edge 30A1of the upper layer 30A and the central part 30C of the gasket. The lowerlayer 30B has an outer edge 30B1. The lower layer 30B also has an outeredge portion (or simply “outer portion”) 30B2 that is located betweenthe outer edge 30B1 of the lower layer 30B and central part 30C of thegasket. The two-layered extensible gasket can be made in any suitablemanner including, but not limited to lamination, and molding the twolayers as one piece.

The gasket 30 is placed so that the outer portions 30A2 of the upperlayer 30A of the gasket 30 are positioned between the upper holdingmember 134 and the upper retaining portion 136A of the middle retainingcomponent 136. The outer portions 30B2 of the lower layer 30B of thegasket 30 are positioned between the lower retaining portion 136B of themiddle retaining component 136 and the raised perimeter portion 138A ofthe base portion 138. This spaces apart the outer portions 30A2 of theupper layer 30A and the outer portions 30B2 of the lower layer 30B ofthe gasket and creates a space for vacuum to be drawn therebetween.

The expanding mechanism 130 shown in FIGS. 6I-6M is particularlysuitable for use with articles having a non-flat surface by which theyare to be held (e.g., non-flat bottom bottles). The elastic gasket 30engages with the sides of the article above the base of the article. Theelastic gasket 30 can engage with the sides of the article any suitabledistance above the base of the article (e.g., from about 5 mm to about20 mm). In the case of plastic bottles where the sides of the bottle areoften smoother than the bottoms, this may provide the additionaladvantage of creating a better seal with the gasket. The expandingmechanism 130 shown in FIGS. 6I-6M is also particularly advantageousbecause it requires no moving parts.

In operation, the expanding mechanism 130 shown in FIGS. 6I-6M works asfollows. FIG. 6K shows the expanding mechanism 130 without any tensionplaced on the gasket 30. In a first step, the aperture 36 must beenlarged. To enlarge the aperture 36, the air is evacuated from thegasket expansion chamber 144 by drawing a vacuum through the gasketvacuum port 140. The vacuum draws portions of the gasket 30 into thepreviously-described gap, which makes the aperture 36 larger. FIG. 6Lshows the configuration and size of (one embodiment of) the aperture 36after tension is exerted on the gasket 30 radially outward in thedirection of the arrows to partially extend the gasket 30. FIG. 6M showsthe configuration and size of (one embodiment of) the aperture 36 aftertension is exerted on the gasket 30 to fully extend the gasket 30.

Next, the base of the article is placed in contact with retainingsurface 28, which comprises part of the base 138 of the expandingmechanism 130. The base of the article is placed within the aperture 36of the gasket 30. The vacuum in the gasket expansion chamber 144 betweenthe upper and lower retaining members 136A and 136B is then released sothat the gasket 30 retracts and the portions of the gasket around theaperture 36 fit snugly against the sides of the article. When the vacuumis released, the outer portions of the gasket 30 will return to aconfiguration similar to that shown in FIG. 6K, and the aperture 36 willtake the configuration of the sides of the article that is being held. Avacuum is then drawn through the article vacuum chamber port 142 to drawa vacuum on the base of the article with the article vacuum chamber 146.This vacuum can be retained using a SCHRADER valve such used in theprior embodiments.

The present invention also relates to the combination of a vacuum holder20 and an article 10. In one embodiment, the combination of a vacuumholder 20 and article 10 comprises an article 10 having a surface with aconcavity therein which is held against the retaining surface 28 of thevacuum holder 20 when the vacuum holder is in its activatedconfiguration, and the concavity in the surface of the article providesthe space (vacuum chamber 40) between the surface of an article and theretaining surface 28. In one version of this embodiment, the combinationcomprises a vacuum holder 20 and an article 10 wherein the article 10(such as a bottle) has a top optionally provided with an opening and abottom, and the concavity is in the bottom 14 of the article. In anotherembodiment, the combination of a vacuum holder 20 and an article 10 isone in which the vacuum holder 20 has a retaining surface 28 with aconcavity therein. In this case, the article 10 is held against theretaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20 when the vacuum holder 20is in its activated configuration, and the concavity in the retainingsurface 28 of the vacuum holder 20 provides the space for the vacuumchamber 40 between the surface of the article and the retaining surface28.

The main body 22 of the vacuum holder 20 may be formed of a solid blockof material or from one or more pieces of material. Alternatively, themain body 22 may have one or more hollowed out and/or internal portions(or compartments) therein in order to save material and/or weight. Themain body 22 can be made from any suitable material(s). Suitablematerials include, but are not limited to metals (e.g., stainless steelor aluminum), plastic including thermoplastic or thermoset polymerresins, and composite materials. The main body 22 can be made by anysuitable process including, but not limited to injection molding in thecase of plastic materials. The main body, or portions thereof, may beproduced from a single or multiple kinds of suitable materials by anyknown additive, subtractive, assembly or combination of manufacturingmethods. Materials and manufacturing method selection may be similar,identical, vary or differ between or within portions of the main body22.

The vacuum holder 20 may be subject to many different uses and may beused in many different processes including, but not limited toproduction processes which include those in which the article is acontainer in a filling and capping operation. The vacuum holder 20 maynot only be subject to the rough handling of a production line but,additionally, as product is invariably spilled onto the vacuum holder 20during container filling and capping operations, the vacuum holder 20may need to be washed. Depending on the nature of the product(s)introduced into the container, washing may require use of hot water anddetergents. Thus, it may be desirable for the main body 22 to beimpervious to repeated washings with hot water, steam and detergents.

The opposed surface 22B (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), which in some casesmay form the bottom of the main body 22, may have optional extensionsthat form “runners” 44 joined thereto and extending therefrom. There canbe any suitable number of runners (e.g., two or more). In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there are four runners in which one runner 44 islocated adjacent each corner of the bottom of the main body 22. Theserunners 44 are useful if the main body 22 is intended to move on aconveyor by sliding the main body 22 on its bottom surface 22B. Therunners 44 may be used to stabilize the main body 22 and/or provideother benefits. The runners 44 can be made of the same material as theremainder of the main body 22. In other embodiments, any portion of thebottom of the main body in contact with the conveyor including theentire bottom surface, or the runners, can be made of a low frictionmaterial such as TEFLON® impregnated or coated plastic. Alternatively, alow friction material could be applied to (e.g., coated on) suchsurfaces.

In other embodiments, the friction forces can be reduced by providingwheels, bearings, or other rolling elements on the bottom surface 22B ofthe main body 22, or on any optional runners 44 thereon. FIG. 7 showsone non-limiting embodiment of a vacuum holder 20 that is provided withwheels 46 on the bottom surface 22B of the main body 22 to facilitatemovement of the vacuum holder 20 in the machine direction (MD). Thevacuum holder 20 may be provided with any suitable number of wheels 46.Typically, there will be at least two wheels, alternatively at leastfour wheels 46. In some cases, there may be at least three wheels oneach side of the longitudinal centerline of the vacuum holder 20 so thatthe vehicle can smoothly skip over any breaks in the track surface (suchas where pieces of track are joined together). In the particularembodiment shown, the vacuum holder 20 has eight wheels 46 that arevertically oriented in the drawing. The wheels 46 can be joined to theinterior or exterior of the main body 22. In the embodiment shown, thewheels 46 are joined inboard of the exterior of the main body 22 in boththe machine direction and cross machine direction (CD). Morespecifically, the wheels 46 are located in recesses 48 on the bottomsurface 22B of the main body 22. Any suitable portion of the wheels 46may be located within the recesses. In the embodiment shown, the wheels46 are almost entirely within the recesses, except for a portion that isabout 10% of the height of the wheels which extends outward from therecesses. Four of the wheels 46 are located adjacent the corners on thebottom surface 22B of the main body 22. The other four wheels 46 arelocated further inward toward the center of the bottom surface 22B ofthe main body 22. The wheels 46 can allow the vacuum holder 20 to rollon top of the rails of a track.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the vacuum holder 20 is joined to acomponent 54 comprising a motive mechanism in order to form a vehicle.The motive mechanism can comprise any suitable type of mechanism. In theembodiment shown, the motive mechanism comprises a magnet thatcooperates with a magnetic track system to propel the vehicle along thetrack system using electromagnetic force. The component 54 comprisingthe motive mechanism is joined to the bottom surface 22B of the mainbody 22 of the vacuum holder 20 by a septum 58 that will lie between thesides of the rails of a track. The septum and/or the component 54comprising a motive mechanism can have wheels thereon that arehorizontally oriented to facilitate movement of the vehicle along thesides of the rails of a track. In the embodiment shown, there are fourwheels on the component 54 comprising a motive mechanism that aredesignated 46A, and two (horizontally-oriented) wheels on the septum 58that are designated 46B.

The vacuum holder 20 may also comprise an optional top plate 32 joinedto the outer surface 22A of the main body 22. The term “joined to”, asused throughout this specification, encompasses configurations in whichan element is directly secured to another element by affixing theelement directly to the other element; configurations in which theelement is indirectly secured to the other element by affixing theelement to intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the otherelement; and configurations in which one element is integral withanother element, i.e., one element is essentially part of the otherelement.

The main body 22 may comprise a fluid (such as air) passageway 26, orhave a fluid passageway associated therewith. The fluid passageway 26may be located within (or on) the main body 22. The fluid passageway 26may be formed into the main body 22, or it may be in the form of aseparate conduit that runs inside or outside the main body 22. The fluidpassageway 26 may extend from the valve 24 to the vacuum port 50. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 2, the fluid passageway 26 passes through atleast a portion of the main body 22. In the embodiment, the fluidpassageway 26 is located entirely within the main body 22. The fluidpassageway 26 initially extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, A, ofthe valve (and parallel to the retaining surface 28). The fluidpassageway 26 then turns (such as by making a right angle) and runsgenerally perpendicular to the retaining surface 28. The fluidpassageway 26 may pass through a hole in the gasket 30, if present, andform an opening or port 50 at the retaining surface 28. In otherembodiments, the fluid passageway may be entirely outside the main body22. For example, the valve can be located in the main body 22, and aflexible hose that acts as the fluid passageway 26 could be connected toa separate plate where the vacuum port is located. In embodimentscomprising multiple ports (described below), the fluid passageway 26could also be a plurality of flexible hoses that are each joined to oneof the vacuum ports.

The port 50 may be flush with the retaining surface 28, whether theretaining surface 28 is the outer surface 22A of the main body 22, thetop plate 32, or the outer surface of the gasket 30. In otherembodiments, the fluid passageway 26 may be part of a structure thatforms a protuberance or protrusion 52 so that the port 50 extendsoutwardly from the retaining surface 28. When the port 50 is describedas being located “at” or “along” the retaining surface, it is intendedto include embodiments in which the port 50 is flush with the retainingsurface 28 (that is, the port is in the retaining surface) as well asthose in which the port 50 is in the form of a protuberance that extendsoutwardly from the retaining surface 28. Providing such a protuberance52 may be useful in cases in which the portion of the surface of thearticle being held, such as the bottom 14 of the article 10 is flexibleand would tend to be drawn in and collapse by the application of thevacuum. The protuberance 52 ensures that the surface of the articlebeing held (e.g., the bottom of the article) does not collapse when avacuum is drawn by spacing the retained surface of the article away fromthe retaining surface 28. This maintains the void space between theretained surface of the article and the retaining surface 28. The port50 can be of any suitable configuration. In the embodiment shown, theport is in the form of a slit.

The valve 24 may be associated with, or joined to, any portion of thevacuum holder 20 such as the main body 22, in any suitable manner. Thisincludes that the valve 24 may be located on or in any surface of themain body 22, including any side, the bottom, or even the top providedit does not interfere with holding the article or formation of thevacuum chamber 40. The location of the valve 24 may influence the shape,pathway and orientation of the fluid passageway 26. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-3, the main body 22 may comprise a recess for the valve24. The recess for the valve 24 may be located on any suitable surfaceof the main body 22 including the outer surface 22A, the opposingsurface 22B, and the sides 22C. In other embodiments, the valve 24 neednot be located in a recess, but instead joined to the main body 22. Forexample, the valve 24 may be joined to the outside of the main body 22.

The valve 24 can be any suitable valve that is capable of beingrepeatedly opened and closed, and while in the closed position iscapable of maintaining an at least partial vacuum between the vacuumholder 20 and the surface of the article 10 that is held by the vacuumholder 20. Example valves include: a SCHRADER valve, a check valve, abutterfly valve, and a PRESTA valve also known as a French valve. Insome embodiments, the valve 24 is a check valve (that is, a “one wayvalve” that allows fluid, such as air, to flow through it in only onedirection). The check valve, in the form of a ball valve or aball-spring check valve, may be of a type that allows vacuum to bequickly drawn with an activating tool and then quickly sealed, thusallowing the vacuum holder 20 (and article 10 held thereby) to beuntethered from a vacuum source.

In some embodiments, the valve 24 may be a SCHRADER valve. A SCHRADERvalve is a well-known type of valve that is commonly used on car tires.However, the use of such a valve in the manner described herein is notbelieved to be known. The SCHRADER valve allows for the two-way flow ofair and provides the convenient activating and sealing mechanismdescribed above. The SCHRADER valve comprises an externally threadedhollow cylindrical (typically metal) tube having an axis and a pair ofends comprising a first end and a second end. In the center of the firstend, a metal pin is oriented along the axis of the tube. The pin isnormally in a spring-loaded closed position, and the pin can be pushedto open the valve. Air can be both removed and let back in with the samevalve by activating the pin at the appropriate time. If desired, thevalve housing can be modified to make it smaller. The valve 24 can bejoined to the main body 22 and be in fluid (e.g., air) communicationwith the air passageway 26. The pin for opening the valve is accessiblefrom the side opposing the air passageway 26 associated with the holder.The main body 22 may be configured so that the valve 24 is eitherpermanent or replaceable.

Numerous alternative embodiments of the valve 24 are possible. Forexample, in some embodiments, more than one valve can be used. Forinstance, one valve can be in fluid communication with the airpassageway 26, and be used to draw a vacuum, and another valve which isalso in fluid communication with the air passageway 26 can be used toopen the air passageway 26 to let air in so that a vacuum is no longerpresent. The two valves may be of the same type or may be different fromeach other.

The top plate 32 can be used for any suitable purpose including, but notlimited to: covering any cavities that were formed in the main body 22(for the purposes of weight reduction or material savings; or, to coverunneeded ports) and/or facilitating joining the vacuum holder 20 toanother component. The top plate 32 may span, including the optionaljoining of, two or more vacuum holders, for example to make a tandempair of vacuum holders that can move or convey as a unit. The two ormore vacuum holders joined together by a top plate may be done so in aseparable manner or in a more permanent arrangement, utilizing, forexample, mechanical or chemical (e.g. adhesive) elements. An O-ring 34may be provided to prevent air from leaking into the vacuum chamber 40.The O-ring may be in any suitable location. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 2, the O-ring 34 is located between the top plate 32 and the outersurface 22A of the main body 22. In this embodiment, the O-ring 34surrounds the base of the extension 52 of the main body in which thevertical portion of the passageway 26 is formed that leads to the port50. Positioning the O-ring 34 at this location prevents air fromentering the vacuum chamber 40 through any gaps between the top plate 32and the main body 22 and releasing the partial vacuum in the vacuumchamber 40.

In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4 (and the followingembodiments), the vacuum holder 20 may comprise fewer elements thanthose described above. For instance, one or more of the top plate,gasket, and O-ring can be eliminated. For example, the top plate can beeliminated, and the gasket 30 can rest directly on the main body 22. Inother embodiments, the top plate, gasket, and O-ring can all beeliminated.

Numerous alternative embodiments of the vacuum holder 20 are possible.The vacuum holder 20 is shown in FIG. 3 as supporting an article. Thevacuum holder 20 is, however, not limited to supporting a singlearticle. The vacuum holder 20 can be of a size and configurationsuitable for holding any desired number of articles (e.g., two, three,four, or more articles). As shown in FIG. 8, the vacuum holder 20 can,thus, hold a plurality of articles. The vacuum holder 20 shown in FIG. 8has a retaining surface 28 and an air passageway 26 in the form of amanifold with branches leading to portions of the retaining surface 28associated with each article 10.

The vacuum holder 20 may, as shown in FIG. 8 comprise more than one port50. The multiple ports 50 are in fluid communication with a fluidpassageway 26. The multiple ports 50 may connect to the same vacuumchamber 40 or to different vacuum chambers 40 associated with one ormore articles 10. In another example, a fluid passageway 26 may lead tothree ports 50, wherein there are two vacuum chambers 40. One port 50may be associated with one vacuum chamber and the other two ports 50 maybe associated with a different vacuum chamber. To accommodate fluidcommunication with the multiple ports 50, the fluid passageway 26 maycomprise, for example, a more voluminous volume such as a cavern-like orreservoir-like volume; or, a branched passage structure. As describedearlier, the retaining surface 28 may comprise a gasket 30. Theretaining surface 28 may also comprise multiple gaskets 30 eachassociated with at least one port and one vacuum chamber. In addition,for a vacuum holder 20 that comprises multiple N number of ports 50,when, unneeded, at least one up to N−1 ports may be capped, plugged orcovered for the purpose of preventing fluid communication between theenvironment and the fluid passageway 26, especially when the fluidpassageway is under at least a partial vacuum.

The vacuum holder 20 may, as shown in FIG. 8, include more than onefluid passageway 26 wherein each fluid passageway 26 connects to atleast one valve 24 and at least one port 50.

When the vacuum holder is in the untethered activated state, one to allof the fluid passageways 26 may be under vacuum. For multiple fluidpassageways 26 which are under vacuum, they may all be at the samevacuum level, given normal manufacturing variations. Alternatively, twoor more of the fluid passageways 26 may have different levels of vacuumwhen compared at least one other fluid passageway of the activatedvacuum holder 20. Example differences of vacuum between any two fluidpassageways 26 include greater than or equal to 0.1 psi (0.7 kPa),alternatively 0.5 psi (3 kPa), and alternatively 1 psi (7 kPa).

The different activated fluid passageways 26 may be utilized to holddifferent articles, or to hold the same article at the same or multiplevacuum chambers 40, or a combination of these scenarios. If at least oneof the fluid passageways 26 is unneeded to maintain at least a partialvacuum when the vacuum holder 20 is activated, then the valves 24associated with the unneeded fluid passageways 26 may be opened torelease any vacuum present. Further, during vacuum charging of thevacuum holder 20, the valves of the unneeded air passageways 26 are notopen for the purpose of drawing a vacuum.

The vacuum holder 20 may be provided with one or more additional holdingfeatures 56 as shown in FIG. 9 if it is desired to convey bottles withnon-flat or convexly-rounded bottoms that would be unstable on ahorizontal surface, or bottles with small bases that will easily tip.The one or more holding features may be in continual contact with thearticle, or they may be in the near vicinity of the article but onlycontact the article in certain situations such as during vehicleacceleration or deceleration force experienced by the article whereinthe holding feature provides additional anti-tipping function whencontacted.

As shown in FIG. 4, a vacuum source 60 will typically be used inconjunction with the vacuum holder 20. The vacuum source 60 can be usedto draw an at least partial vacuum in the void space or vacuum chamber40 between the retaining surface 28 of the vacuum holder 20 and thesurface of the article to be held. Any suitable type of vacuum sourcecan be used. One suitable type of vacuum source 60 is a vacuum pump. Thevacuum pump 60 can have a hose 62 joined thereto, and a tool 64 at thedistal end of the hose 62 for fitting into or onto the valve 24. FIG. 10shows an alternative type of vacuum source 60 in the form of apiston-type device. This piston-type device 60 comprises a housing 66having a chamber 67 with a movable piston 68 therein. When the piston 68slides as shown, a vacuum can be drawn at the opening 69 of the device60.

The vacuum holder 20 can be used for numerous different purposes. Insome cases, the vacuum holder 20 can be used in a system 70 for holdingand conveying articles. As shown in FIG. 11, one non-limiting embodimentof the system 70 comprises an article conveyor 72 that conveys at leastone article 10 past at least one station 74 for performing an operationon the article. If there is more than one station, they can bedesignated by reference numbers 74A, 74B, 74C, etc. If the system 70 ispart of a bottle processing operation, the stations 74 may, for example,comprise a bottle filling station 74A, a decorating (e.g., labeling)station 74B, and a capping station 74C.

The term “conveyor”, as used herein, refers to devices that movearticles generally, and is not limited to conveyor belts. The conveyor72 can be any suitable type of conveyor. Suitable types of conveyorsinclude, but are not limited to: endless loop conveyors, which may be inthe form of tracks, belts, chains, and the like, and magnetic servo carconveyors.

In one embodiment, the conveyor 72 may be physically-guided track,guided by fixed or limited movement floor tracks, side rails, etc., uponwhich one or more wheel-equipped vacuum holders 20 may travel, and bemoved by an on-board motive mechanism such as a motor to drive at leastone of the wheels. To supply the motor with energy, the vacuum holdermay comprise an on-board storage battery or capacitor supplying at leastpart of the vacuum holder with power. The storage battery or capacitorcan be recharged at any desired time and position, examples includeduring routine maintenance, downtime of the individual vacuum holder,vacuum activation or deactivation or at certain points of travel ortemporary rest on the physically-guide track. Recharging may occur byphysical conductor connection to a power-charging source, or may beaccomplished inductively for a vacuum holder equipped with the properinduction receiver coil. Alternatively, the vacuum holder's battery maybe periodically removed from the vacuum holder and replaced with acharged battery replacement.

In other embodiments, the conveyor 72 may be a linear synchronous motorsystem, such as the MAGNEMOVER® LITE intelligent conveyor system. TheMAGNEMOVER® LITE intelligent conveyor system, and the componentsthereof, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,011,508; 6,101,952;6,499,701; 6,578,495; 6,781,524; 6,917,136; 6,983,701; 7,448,327;7,458,454; and 9,032,880. Such a conveyor utilizes carriers that arepropelled by the principle of linear synchronous motor technology on aguideway, and electronics control the motion of the carriers. Thecarriers can be moved and accelerated individually irrespective of thepropulsion system. In such a case, the vacuum holder 20 may eithercomprise a magnetic flux source or be joined to a vehicle comprising amagnetic flux source. If the vacuum holder 20 is joined to a vehiclecomprising a magnetic flux source, in one embodiment as shown in FIG. 7,the vacuum holder 20 described herein can form a portion of a vehiclethat moves on top of the guideways of such a conveyor system. In suchcase, the vacuum holder 20 can be joined at a septum portion 58 to asecond portion 54 of the vehicle that is located below a guideway,wherein the second portion of the vehicle comprises the magnetic fluxsource.

The conveyor 72 may move (and, thus, move the vacuum holders 20 andarticles 10) in a linear path; a curvilinear path such as a circularpath; or in a path that comprises both linear portions and curvilinearportions. Non-limiting examples of the latter paths include: ellipticalpaths, race track configured paths (FIG. 11), and other closed looppaths. The conveyor 20 may also have one or more side tracks joinedthereto for diverting one or more vacuum holders 20 and/or articles 10for any desired purpose.

The system and apparatus 70 shown in FIG. 11 is described as a planview. In this case, the retaining surfaces 28 of the vacuum holders 20are oriented horizontally and the articles 10 rest on top of the vacuumholders 20. However, the entire apparatus 70 can be reoriented so thatthe retaining surfaces 28 are vertical, in which case FIG. 11 would be aside elevation view. In other embodiments, the system and apparatus 70can be oriented in any configuration between horizontal and vertical. Inaddition, due to the strong holding force that can be exerted on thearticles by the vacuum holders 20, it is even possible for at least aportion of the apparatus to be oriented so that the retaining surfaces28 of the vacuum holders 20 are oriented horizontally and the articles10 are held upside down by the vacuum holders 20 with the retainingsurface 28 facing downward. Of course, if the articles 10 are containersto be filled with liquids, the filling would likely take place in aconventional gravity filling orientation with the articles 10 resting ontop of the vacuum holders 20.

The vacuum source 60 for charging the vacuum holders 20 may be locatedat a vacuum station, designated generally by reference number 80. Theremay be one or more vacuum stations 80 located at any suitable place(s)along the conveyor 72. The individual vacuum stations can be labeled80A, 80B, etc. Any suitable device/vacuum source 60 (such as thosedescribed above) that is capable of temporarily connecting to a vacuumholder 20 and drawing a vacuum may be located at the vacuum station 80.The vacuum source 60 at the vacuum station 80 may comprise a vacuum pumphaving a hose one end of which is joined to the vacuum pump. A vacuumtool, such as a nozzle, can be joined to the other end of the hose, andthe nozzle may have a quick connect coupling similar to a gas stationtire pump so that after the vacuum is drawn, the valve on the vacuumholder 20 may be closed to retain the vacuum.

The system and apparatus may also comprise a vacuum release device thatis located at a vacuum release station 82. The vacuum release station 82may be located any suitable place(s) along the conveyor 72 where it isdesired to open a valve and let air into the void space 40 in order torelease the article 10 from attachment to the vacuum holder 20. Thevacuum release device can be a device that is configured to only open avalve. In other cases, the vacuum release device can comprise part of acombined vacuum source and vacuum release device. For example, thevacuum source or other device at a vacuum station 80 can be configuredto: draw a vacuum on the vacuum holder 20; close a valve to retain thevacuum; and, when it is desired to release the vacuum, open the valve onthe vacuum holder 20 to release the vacuum.

In such a process, at least one article 10, such as a bottle, isinitially brought into contact with the retaining surface 28 of thevacuum holder 20 so that the surface of the article 10 to be held by thevacuum holder 20 is aligned with and in contact with the retainingsurface 28 of the vacuum holder 20. This can be done by moving thearticle 10, the vacuum holder 20, or both. This can be done manually,statically such as by a gravity feed chute with optional gate, or with amechanical motion device. Suitable mechanical motion devices include,but are not limited to: independently actuatable automatic arms,pneumatic arms, robots, transfer wheel, and other mechanical movingelements. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, where the retainingsurfaces 28 of the vacuum holders 20 are horizontally-oriented, thebottles 10 are placed onto the retaining surfaces 28 of the vacuumholders 20.

Next, a vacuum tool “activates” the vacuum holder 20 and draws vacuum onthe bottom of the bottle. Vacuum is applied to the holder with a “vacuumtool” (with a bottle in place) and then once the tool is removed thevalve 24 maintains vacuum between the vacuum holder 20 and the surfaceof the article (e.g., the bottom of the bottle). The vacuum holder 20,thus, has an activated configuration wherein the void space between thesurface of the article 10 and the retaining surface 28 of the vacuumholder 20 has air evacuated therefrom to create an at least partialvacuum therein. The valve 24 can be closed to retain the vacuum and holdthe surface of an article 10 against the retaining surface 28 of thevacuum holder 20. The passageway 26 between the valve 24 and theretaining surface 28 will also be at (or near) the at least partialvacuum. The vacuum tool is removed (the vacuum holder 20 is, thus,untethered) and then the vacuum holder 20 and bottle 10 may be conveyedon the conveyor 72. When it is desired to remove the article 10 from thevacuum holder 20 such as to send the article 10 to another step oroperation in the process, the vacuum can be released by opening thevalve 24 (or a separate valve) and allowing air to enter the vacuumchamber 40. The vacuum holder 20 has an unactivated configuration whenthe vacuum is released. In the unactivated configuration, the pressureis atmospheric or ambient, and the air passageway between the valve andthe retaining surface is at (or near) the ambient or atmosphericpressure.

The articles 10 may be conveyed without separating from the holder 20(e.g., falling off a horizontally-oriented platform) at up to certainvelocities and accelerations. For example, bottles capable of holdingbetween 9 and 40 oz. (266 milliliters to 1.2 liters) of liquid do notfall off vacuum holders that form horizontal platforms at up to 2 m/s,or more, peak velocity and 2 m/s², or more, acceleration. The vacuumholder 20 is also capable of maintaining a vacuum for an extendedduration, which is well in excess of the period of time an article willtypically remain on a conveyor in a manufacturing process.

The vacuum holders 20 may have an optional vacuum gauge joined theretoto verify that the vacuum level is not changing from a desired setpoint.Suitable setpoints may vary depending on the article being held. Forexample, a much lower partial vacuum is needed to hold and stabilize(during vehicle movement) a light article, such as a bottle cap, than isnecessary to hold and stabilize a heavier article, such as large bottlefilled with fluent material. For holding light articles, a partialvacuum of −1 psig (−7 kPa) may be suitable. For holding larger and/orheavier articles, the set point can range up to a partial vacuum of −13psig (−90 kPa) or of −14 psig (−96 kPa), up to a perfect vacuum (−14.7psig (−100 kPa)). The vacuum holder set point can be any amount ofpartial vacuum within these ranges (or greater than or equal to thefollowing amounts) including, but not limited to: −2 psig (−14 kPa), −3psig (−21 kPa), −4 psig (−28 kPa), −5 psig (−34 kPa), −6 psig (−41 kPa),−7 psig (−48 kPa), −8 psig (−55 kPa), −9 psig (−62 kPa), −10 psig (−69kPa), −11 psig (−76 kPa), −12 psig (−83 kPa), or any range between anyof the set points described herein. The statement “greater than orequal” conveys that an equal or increased (i.e. greater) vacuum ispresent with an activated configuration. For example, the statement “atleast partial vacuum which is greater than or equal to −2 psig (−14 kPa)includes activated configuration partial vacuums of −3 psig (−21 kPa),−4 psig (−28 kPa), −5 psig (−34 kPa), −6 psig (−41 kPa), −7 psig (−48kPa), −8 psig (−55 kPa), −9 psig (−62 kPa), −10 psig (−69 kPa), −11 psig(−76 kPa), −12 psig (−83 kPa), −13 psig (−90 kPa), or −14 psig (−96kPa), up to a perfect vacuum (−14.7 psig (−100 kPa)). The vacuum holder20 vacuum level can stay at setpoint for more than two weeks. It isbelieved that the SCHRADER valve is capable of holding a perfect vacuum.

The vacuum holder 20 can be provided with various additional optionalfeatures. The vacuum holder 20 vehicles (or “carriers”) may be providedwith noise reducing bumpers in the event one vacuum holder carriercollides with another vacuum holder carrier, or with some other object.The vacuum holder 20 can be provided with a tracking device such as anRFID tag to identify when the vacuum holder passes a known position. Thevacuum holder 20 can be provided with an on-board vacuum/pressure sensorwhich can measure the pressure in the void space 40 and visually orelectronically communicate the same to a human observer, or to a devicesuch as a part of a control system.

The optional vacuum gauge may be operably joined to sensor and/orcommunication means so that any decrease in the vacuum may result in anotification to any operator or operating system that the vacuum hasdecreased. This notification can be linked to any of the set pointsoutlined above and may result in a subsequent operation to refresh thevacuum. This notification can be made by any known communication meansincluding both wired and wireless communication means. This notificationmay result in the holder be routed to a portion of the path where thevacuum may be recharged or to an inspection and/or reject station wherethe integrity of the holder can be checked and/or corrected.

The system 70 may also be provided with various additional optionalfeatures. Other types of operations that can be performed on a containerand/or its contents include: loading, dispensing, mixing, sealing,emptying, unloading, heating, cooling, pasteurizing, sterilizing,wrapping, rotating or inverting, printing, cutting, separating, pausingto allow mechanical settling or mechanical separation or chemicalreaction, or etching. In addition, such operations may include one ormore inspections, including any of the following: scanning, weighing,detecting the presence or orientation of a container, or other types ofinspection.

The vacuum holder 20 can also be subjected to a cleaning or otheroperation. For example, the system 70 may provide a washing, brushing,or blow-off operation. Such a cleaning operation can be provided at anysuitable location in the system. For example, after an article such as abottle has all the desired operations performed thereon, and is unloadedfrom the vacuum holder 20, and prior to loading the vacuum holder 20with another article, a blow-through of the passageway 26 could be usedto clean out the passageway 26 of any spilled contents. In anotherexample, at unloading or loading, the pressure or dynamic back pressureof air passing through the passageway 26 could be measured to determineif the vacuum holder's passageway 26 has a partial or completerestriction (due to soiling debris).

The vacuum holder 20, system, and method described herein may provide anumber of advantages. It should be understood, however, that suchadvantages are not required to be present unless set forth in theappended claims. The vacuum holder 20, system, and method are capable ofholding and/or conveying articles of a wide variety of shapes and sizes.The vacuum holder 20 may, unlike pucks, provide nearly full exposure ofthe top and sides of articles since the article (such as a bottle) maybe only held substantially from the bottom. As a result, all othersurfaces are unobstructed so decorations such as labels, stickers,shrink sleeves, etc. can be applied to these surfaces while any openingin the top (or any side) is free for a filling operation. The vacuumholder 20 may also operate with no external connections being requiredto supply vacuum. The vacuum holder 20 is, therefore, “untethered”allowing it to move freely around a conveyor.

The vacuum holder 20 also has several advantages over suction cups. Thisvacuum holder 20 is suitable for adhering to surfaces having a varietyof different curvatures and/or surface features. Suction cups typicallyhave a certain diameter, and are not suitable for holding articleshaving dimensions smaller than their diameter. Suction cups create avoid space that is fixed, and is defined by the dimensions of thesuction cup. The vacuum holder, on the other hand, can accommodatevariable void spaces, and can apply adjustable levels of vacuum. It istypically not possible to adjust the level of vacuum created by suctioncups. Suction cups typically do not have a high level of structuralrigidity, and if a suction cup is holding an article that is subject toacceleration, the force of the acceleration may cause the suction cup tolose its grip on the article. The vacuum holder 20 only requires theopening and closing of a valve to draw and release a vacuum, and doesnot require any manipulation of a suction cup or mechanism attachedthereto.

TEST METHODS

1-1. Sample Preparation for Tensile and Hysteresis Tests

The direction in which the elastic material will stretch in its intendeduse is considered the primary stretch direction of the material. Forstandalone materials, where the primary stretch direction is not known,the direction in which the material has greatest extensibility isassumed to be the primary stretch direction. A set of rectilinearspecimens at least 30 mm long in the primary stretch direction, and 25.4mm wide (W) in the perpendicular direction is cut from the material. Thewidth “W” can be within 10% of 25.4 mm. The three specimens are cut fromthe same portion of identical materials for each set. The basis weightof each material specimen is measured. If the difference in the elasticmaterial specimen basis weight is more than 10% between highest andlowest basis weight samples for any set, then specimens are re-collectedfor that set from a different part of the material, or from freshproducts. Each set is analyzed by the methods described below. For theTensile Test and Hysteresis Test, the direction in which specimen haslonger dimension is considered the specimen direction of stretching.

1-2. Specimen Weight and Basis Weight

Each specimen is weighed to within ±0.1 milligram using a digitalbalance. Specimen length and width are measured using digital Verniercalipers or equivalent to within ±0.1 mm. All testing is conducted at22±2° C. and 50±10% relative humidity. Basis weight is calculated usingequation below.

${{Basis}\mspace{14mu}{{Weight}\left( \frac{g}{m^{2}} \right)}} = \frac{\left( {{Weight}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{the}\mspace{14mu}{specimen}\mspace{14mu}{in}\mspace{14mu}{grams}} \right)}{\begin{matrix}\left( {{Length}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{the}\mspace{14mu}{specimen}\mspace{14mu}{in}\mspace{14mu}{meter}} \right) \\\left( {{Width}\mspace{14mu}{of}\mspace{14mu}{the}\mspace{14mu}{specimen}\mspace{14mu}{in}\mspace{14mu}{meter}} \right)\end{matrix}}$1-3. Tensile Test Setup

A suitable tensile tester interfaced with a computer such as MTS modelAlliance RT/1 with TestWorks 4® software or equivalent is used. Thetensile tester is located in a temperature-controlled room at 22° C.±2°C. and 50±10% relative humidity. The instrument is calibrated accordingto the manufacturer's instructions. The data acquisition rate is set toat least 50 Hertz. The grips used for the test are wider than thesample. Grips having 50.8 mm width may be used. The grips are airactuated grips designed to concentrate the entire gripping force along asingle line perpendicular to the direction of testing stress having oneflat surface and an opposing face from which protrudes a half round(radius=6 mm, e.g. part number: 56-163-827 from MTS Systems Corp.) orequivalent grips, to minimize slippage of the specimen. The load cell isselected so that the forces measured are between 10% and 90% of thecapacity of the load cell used. The initial distance between the linesof gripping force (gauge length) is set at 25.4 mm. The load reading onthe instrument is zeroed to account for the mass of the fixture andgrips.

The specimen is mounted into the grips in a manner such that there is noslack and the load measured is between 0.00 N and 0.02 N. The specimenis mounted in the center of the grips, such that the specimen directionof stretching is parallel to the applied tensile stress.

1-4. Tensile Test

The instrument is set up and the specimen mounted as described in theTensile Test Setup above. The tensile test is initiated and the specimenis extended at 254 mm/min, with a data acquisition rate of at least 50Hertz, until the specimen breaks, typically 500-1500% strain. The %strain is calculated from the length between grip lines L, and initialgauge length, L₀, as illustrated in FIG. 1, using the following formula:

${\%\mspace{14mu}{Strain}} = {\frac{\left( {L - L_{0}} \right)}{L_{0}} \times 100}$

Three specimens of each set are measured, and the arithmetic average ofstress at 100% strain (MPa), stress at 200% strain (MPa), stress atbreak (also called Tensile Strength, MPa), and % Strain at break arerecorded. % Strain at break is defined as the % Strain at peak force.Stress in MPa is calculated as follows: Stress=[measuredforce]/[specimen cross-sectional area].

Specimen cross-sectional area is calculated from specimen weight, Wt(g); before straining specimen width, W (mm); and density of thematerial, ρ (g/cm³). Specimen cross-sectional area A₀ (mm²) is given byformula: A₀=[Wt×10³]/[ρ×W].

1-5. Hysteresis Test

The instrument is set up and the specimen mounted as described in theTensile Test Setup section above. Data acquisition rate is set to atleast 50 Hertz.

The Hysteresis Test method for material specimens involves the followingsteps (all strains are % strains):

(1) Strain the specimen to 50% strain at a constant crosshead speed of25.4 cm per minute.

(2) Hold specimen at 50% strain for 30 seconds.

(3) Go to 0% strain at a constant crosshead speed of 25.4 cm per minute.

(4) Hold specimen for 1 minute at 0% strain.

(5) Pull the specimen to 0.05 N force and return to 0% strain with nohold time.

The Specimen length at 0.05 force in step (5) is recorded and used tocalculate the % set in the material as below.% Set=((Length at 0.05 N force−Original Gauge length)/Original Gaugelength))×100.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “90°” is intended to mean“about 90°”.

It should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation giventhroughout this specification includes every lower numerical limitation,as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein.Every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specificationwill include every higher numerical limitation, as if such highernumerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every numericalrange given throughout this specification will include every narrowernumerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as ifsuch narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein.

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, inrelevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of anydocument is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior artwith respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaningor definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to the term in this written documentshall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vacuum holder, wherein said vacuum holder has aretaining surface for holding an article against said retaining surfaceby vacuum, said vacuum holder comprising: a main body having an outersurface, said main body having at least one air passageway associatedtherewith leading to a vacuum port at said retaining surface; a valvejoined to said main body and in fluid communication with said airpassageway; and an elastically extensible gasket adjacent at least aportion of the outer surface of the main body, wherein said gasket hasan opening therein, wherein when said gasket is stretched and relaxed,said opening is sized and configured for fitting around the portion ofthe surface of the article to be held against the retaining surface ofthe vacuum holder and at least some portions of the article adjacentthereto, wherein at least one of the retaining surface and the surfaceof the article is configured to provide a void space between the surfaceof an article and the retaining surface, and said vacuum holder has: anactivated configuration wherein said void space has at least partialvacuum therein, and said valve is closed to retain said at least partialvacuum and hold the surface of an article against the retaining surfaceof the vacuum holder without being connected to a vacuum source, and anunactivated configuration when the vacuum is released; furthercomprising an expanding mechanism for stretching and relaxing saidelastically extensible gasket.
 2. The vacuum holder of claim 1 whereinsaid gasket has a volcano-shaped configuration.
 3. The vacuum holder ofclaim 1 wherein said gasket forms a skirt around the portion of thesurface of the article to be held against the retaining surface of thevacuum holder and at least some portions of the article adjacentthereto.
 4. The vacuum holder of claim 1 wherein said expandingmechanism comprises a plurality of pistons with clamps joined thereto,wherein said clamps are configured to grip a portion of the extensiblegasket, and the pistons are configured to move outward away from theopening in the gasket to stretch the gasket.
 5. A combinationcomprising: the vacuum holder of claim 1 wherein said vacuum holder isbrought into proximity of said expanding mechanism, said expandingmechanism is configured to grip portions of said extensible gasket andextend and relax the same.
 6. The vacuum holder of claim 1 wherein saidexpanding mechanism extends and relaxes said elastically extensiblegasket by drawing a vacuum on portions of said gasket and then releasingsaid vacuum.
 7. The vacuum holder of claim 6 wherein the gasket hasouter edges and a central portion surrounding the opening in the gasket,and said gasket comprises a first layer and a second layer wherein saidlayers are joined together in said central portion of the gasket and notjoined outside of said central portion so that outer portions of saidlayers between said central portion and the outer edges of the gasketare not joined.
 8. The vacuum holder of claim 7 wherein said vacuumholder is configured to grip portions of said outer portions of saidlayers so that the outer portions of the layers are spaced apart tocreate a space for a vacuum to be drawn therebetween.
 9. A method forholding an article using a vacuum holder, said method comprising: a.providing an article, said article having a surface, wherein a portionof said article surface is to be held by a vacuum holder; b. providing avacuum holder, said vacuum holder having a retaining surface for holdingan article against said retaining surface by vacuum, said vacuum holdercomprising: a main body having an outer surface, said main body havingat least one air passageway associated therewith leading to a vacuumport at said retaining surface; a valve joined to said main body and influid communication with said air passageway; and an elasticallyextensible gasket overlying the outer surface of said main body, whereinwhen said gasket is stretched and relaxed, a hole sized and configuredfor fitting around the portion of the surface of the article to be heldagainst the retaining surface of the vacuum holder, wherein said vacuumholder has: an activated configuration wherein a void space has at leastpartial vacuum therein, and said valve is closed to retain said at leastpartial vacuum and hold the surface of an article against the retainingsurface of the vacuum holder without being connected to a vacuum source,and an unactivated configuration when the vacuum is released; c.stretching said elastically extensible gasket so that said opening islarger than said portion of said article surface to be held by vacuum;d. placing said article onto the outer surface of said vacuum holder sothat said portion of the surface of said article to be held by vacuum ispositioned over said vacuum port of said vacuum holder and said portionof the surface of said article is inside the opening in said gasket; e.releasing the forces extending said gasket so that portions of saidgasket adjacent said opening contact said article and fit snugly againstsaid article; and f. drawing a vacuum on the article.